Semi-quick takes.

I seriously don't know where the blog muse has gone, but I'll try to bring it back with some quick-ish takes for this Thursday morning.  Some are political; you can skip those if you like.

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Simcha Fisher doesn't always write funny stuff, you know.  Today she answers a question from a sixteen-year-old girl:

I've been struggling with a problem begun during the years I thought I was going to be a nun.  I was very attracted to the idea of Jesus as the bridegroom, as a spouse, and due to my age I fell into a "Jesus-is-my-boyfriend" mindset.  Right now I'm having trouble because though I'm not allowed to date I have a very close friend whom I feel I would like to marry someday, and this is shaking up my view of Jesus, which I think was a little warped to begin with.  I was wondering if perhaps you could tell me how you, being married, relate to Jesus?  

The first thing I thought was:  If 16-year-old girls are seeking out Simcha Fisher for advice about marriage, then the world is truly far more awesome than I imagined.  

The second thing I thought was:  This is good.  So.  Go read.

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I've never gone to a Mass celebrated in the Extraordinary Form, but I think some of my readers do.  I heard that there's a new magazine out that is kind of like Magnificat, but for the 1962 Missal.  I thought I'd publicize it because it sounded like such a good idea, and because they'll need subscribers if they're going to survive.

It's called Laudamus Te.  See this blog post for details.

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Are you still feeling down in the dumps?  

 

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting.  I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

 

Not, of course, that you need to be fasting.  

But you know, there are two kinds of crosses:  the kind we bear on purpose according to our own schedule (like fasting) and the kind that comes to us unbidden.  I see no reason why we should look somber about the second kind either.  

So anoint your head and wash your face already.  It's obvious that things didn't go so well for you, eh?  We can all read the newspaper?  Well, if you go out of your way to make it obvious that you're cranky and worried about it, how is that going to help anyone?  

You know who's in charge here.

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There were some spots of good news for life on Tuesday.  Don't forget those.  Be thankful.    

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For some on the right, this is the beginning of the "we told you so" cycle:

I look back at 1984, and say, when Ronald Reagan won a huge reelection, it was an affirmation of his policies. That did not happen here [in 2012]; there is no mandate, because it’s not 1984. However, people have to lay down those markers, and make an argument, beginning tonight, that “we told you so.” This is going to be the two-year “we told you so” cycle. When the currency crisis comes, when the national defense crisis comes, when the Islamists hit us again, it is a “we told you so” moment, and Republicans can’t be afraid of that.

It is nothing but a fantasy to imagine that supporters of President Obama will be humbled and repentant if and when things get worse.  We have this thing in human nature where we tend to filter out observations that make us look bad to ourselves, and emphasize observations that make our enemies look bad to us.  The worse things get, the surer each person will be that it's somebody else's fault.  And everyone will be at least partly right.

It is also dangerous to tempt oneself to feel hopeful that people will suffer more.  So don't do it.  If you catch yourself being happy that people suffer because it makes "your side" look better, you are going off the rails.

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For others on the right, this is a "what went wrong?" moment, and that is probably a good thing.  Personally, I am convinced that the shift in the Latino vote points to a major, major error for the Republican party.   George W. Bush got a third of the Hispanic Catholic vote -- twice.  Senator McCain managed to hang on to a bit more than a quarter of it.  Mr. Romney, only a shred more than a fifth.  And if that doesn't sound like a big deal, please remember that this demographic is growing, and growing in importance.  It is a demographic that tends to be more pro-life, for one thing.

Pragmatically speaking, white conservative Catholics should be courting Hispanic Catholics, not turning them off.  We need a Catholic vision of the Americas as a whole and of the United States's place in them.   The Republican party, at least, is far too driven by knee-jerk protectionism, and both parties are far too complacent about the effect of U.S. drug policies on Latin America.  It's probably a mistake to assume that it's all about immigration -- here is a piece from the Atlantic that discusses the complexity in Arizona, at least -- but clearly there's a problem, and it can't all be framed as the unfortunate result of a conservatives-are-racists smear campaign.

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I made this chicken in a crockpot the other day to serve with a Trappist ale.  A dubbel, I think.  My beer book says that dubbels and tripels are good with meat-and-fruit combinations, so I thought that a dish of chicken with prunes would be a nice match.

I left the olives out and added carrots, and I used broth instead of wine just in case the wine fought with my ale.  It turned out great, sweet/sour/savory, with a lovely sauce to have over rice.  If your kids like sweet sauces, this one might go over well.

I think part of my problem with crockpot chickens is that I've been cooking them too long.  Five hours on low was just right.   I think in the future I will not do anything chicken-related in the crockpot when I need to be gone all day, and will stick to days when I can put it together at lunchtime.

Comments

[Jamie]

Hey, I have a post request if you are looking for easy post topics. Have you ever written about your swim lesson details? I never learned to swim well but I would like to. At the same time, I am nervous about adult swim lessons. What pushed you into it? Any tips for the wary?

[Bearing]

Oh, hey, yeah, I can write about that. I'll see if I can manage later today or tomorrow morning,